I had lunch today (BBQ ribs, chicken, beans and a piece of corn bread), about an hour later I started belching sulfur. This is the 3rd time this has happened to me in my life. It makes me almost throw every time I belch. I'd love to know what is causing this too!...and I am glad I'm not alone.

I've had these periodically since I was about 10 yrs old. Usually I gt them about once a year. Certain foods can bring them on (fried chicken), but sometimes eating a large meal too close to bedtime will do it too. Usually I end up throwing up and they won't go away until my stomach is completely empty. I'm having endoscopies now to try to find out what's causing this.

I apparently made myself sick from eating a batch of rice and lentils two nights ago that I had left sitting out, uncovered, for too long. I have stomach ache, diarrhea, flatulence, and yes, sulfur belches. I ended up at this forum after Googling terms such as "stomach ache," "diarrhea," and "sulfur belch." I can't find any source that explains the belches; this is the only place I could find that even discusses it.This is not something I have routinely, just since I got sick this one time, and I don't remember getting sulfur belches before with abdominal problems.So can anyone tell me where the sulfur is coming from? The lentils, maybe? More to the point, do sulfur belches indicate what would cure my symptoms? This is miserable. I'm tired of sitting on the can every half hour, I can't sleep (hence posting at 04.26), and I'm really ready to be over it.Tums and Kaopectate haven't helped, and Pepto-Bismol just makes me vomit (which I maybe need to do anyway). Help!

I don't eat very often. Every other day I eat 1 container of yogurt. One day I'll eat a piece of toast. The past couple of weeks, at least 2 or 3 days a week, I'm belching and it tastes and smells like sulfur. It can't be from the food I eat... because I've had this eating disorder for a long time now. The last time I had the sulfur tasting belch I ended up being really sick, almost like the stomach flu.I tried googling it. All it says is that it's the bacteria in your system. There has to be more to it.

No, that makes sense. Bacteria, enzymes, and stomach acids break down food molecules into smaller components. Sulfur is a common element. If the foods that we're talking about contain molecules that contain sulfur, then it could be bacteria breaking off elemental sulfur, or some other sulfur-containing compound that has the smell and taste of sulfur. And perhaps, in the process, releases the gas that causes the belch in which we then smell and taste the sulfur.If that's so, then the question becomes, why do some people have sulfur belches never, sometimes, rarely (me), or chronically ("unregistered"). I know that lots of bacteria live in the stomach and digestive tract, but I know nothing about what kinds or their specific functions. Maybe it's a bacterium that normally lives in the duodenum or intestines, but on occasion it manages to back up into the stomach where it does its sulfur thing. So in different people, depending on how their systems work, that backup would happen never, or sometimes, or regularly.Anyway, that's my theory. Do MDs or biologists ever read these threads and help out?Unregistered, I'm more worried about your food consumption than your sulfur belches. You're getting by on one carton of yogurt or one piece of toast a day? Assuming that you're being truthful, then either you must be very overweight, and trying to reduce, or you have anorexia.If you're overweight and and trying to reduce, that kind of diet won't work. Eating so little food throws your metabolism into starvation mode, and your body does everything it can to *not* burn calories. To lose weight you have to eat a normal diet, just in reduced quantities.And if you have anorexia -- if everyone around you tells you you're too thin, but you think you're too fat -- that's an even more serious condition. Either way, please call someone and talk about why you're consuming so little food. Call a doctor, a nurse, a clinic, a dietitian, or one of the all-purpose help & crisis hotlines.Overeaters Anonymous (OA) is also an excellent resource for people with food disorders, either eating too much or too little. If you live in or near a city of any size, look in the phone book; OA will most likely be listed. If you can't find OA that way, their national website ishttp://www.oa.org. They have lists of meetings everywhere in the U.S., and contacts for people who live too far away from meetings to attend. All OA staff are also OA members, so each of them has some kind of food problem. So anyone who answers the phone/email/IM will understand what you tell them. They can put you in touch with someone near you who can listen and help. And it's all totally anonymous.Send me an email if you want. (I'm pretty sure you have to register to do that.) And good luck to you!!

I had these egg-tasting belches two weeks ago all day, and then ended up having watery diareah all night! I felt better the next day, and I assumed it was some kind of virus, but yesterday, again with the burping hard boiled egg tast and then, last night,, horrible unending diareah and nausea! I went to the Drs. today and she had never heard of the supher tasting burps and said I probably got the same virus twice. Duh! (I HATE drs.)I am a widow with a daughter in college and I just can't miss work again due to this, there must be some kind of answer! I am going to be scared to death the next time I get those foul tasting burbs because I know what will follow. I almost passed out last night with the cold sweats and nausea!Any Help?Kathyjkcook2@juno.com

I was discussing this thread in another thread (http://forums.wrongdiagnosis.com/showthread.php?t=13706), and someone made a post that I thought would be helpful here, so I'm cross-posting it. I was saying that this thread is the only thing I could find on the whole internet discussing this topic, and his point was that my search terms might have been too specific. Other people might use words besides belching, and might not know the smell of sulfur well enough to name it as such.Have you really ingested sulphur in the past? Some people might have the same problem, but call it something else because they might not be too familiar with sulphur.Like "acid" "sour" "belching", etc. - and then you want to read into the advice given to people with similar problems.Rule of thumb: Try Oriental Medicine, Try NAET, for now avoid processed food, wheat, and drink as much pure water as possible.

OMG, Kathyc2, I totally know how you feel. I have had the EXACT symptoms for nearly 6 years now. (I know that makes you terrified...) So far, I have been unable to narrow down what food causes this, etc. etc. I have been to the Dr. about this over the years, had an upperGI, and some other tests, but they all came out positive. Whenever I get those burps, I know that I am within 2-24hrs going to have about 4-7hrs of terrible pain and nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. This whole situation is horrible and I hate it. I wish I knew what caused it, and like you, my Dr.'s have all said they had no clue what these symptoms mean... *sigh* K. Boonefakeppy@comcast.net I've been searching for years, and this is the first time i've heard my symptoms described. I started having this when I was about 12 (i'm 32 now). About once or twice a year, usually several hours after eating a big, I get the sulpher smelling belching, and within a few hours, symptoms like food poisoning set in, abdominal pain, nauseau, vomiting, dirrhea. Though I really don't have any insight in to what it is, it is good to see that i'm not the only person in the world who has experienced this.

A friend of mine is a mechanic. This happens to him when he accidentally gets petrol (gasoline) into his mouth, from sucking on a supply tube.Can you say "I want to die young and with massive brain damage?" Sure. I knew you could.

Kathyc2-I have exactly the same symptoms you described- episodes have become mor and more common over the last 6 months- up to once a week. I've been treated for "ulcer bacteria" but it hasn't phased these nasty belch-puke-squirt episodes.I'm thinking I have some sort of food intolerance I've recently developed and I'm trying to narrow it down. Does anyone knowif something as simple as lactose intolerance could do this, and if L.I. can have a sudden onset in an otherwise healthy adult?

Just came across this thread, because I was looking up an answer for this that I'd come across the last time I was suffering with this ailment, and wanted to find the answer I'd found then. Please keep in mind that I am not a physician, so don't take any of the following as advice from a medical person.For those who haven't, SEE YOUR DOCTOR. There are a few very rare diseases that may be the cause, some of which are listed at the medhelp.org link below. Only your doctor can perform the tests to diagnose those rare causes.As I recall, there are several possible causes of this. If it is something that happens to you only occasionally, then it may be that it is caused by giardia lamblia, which is a bacteria that causes digestive problems. According to emedicinehealth.com, the usual culprit is unclean water or feces, and the possible source of the infection may be food washed in unclean water at a fast food restaurant at home or while traveling to another country, or a person who has not washed their hands well enough after coming into contact with infected feces. This means that anywhere there are children--in schools, day care centers, or your own home--there is the possibility of infection from this bacteria.If giardia lamblia is the cause of the symptoms, emedicinehealth.com says that for an otherwise healthy person, the recommended treatment is to ingest lots of clear fluids, none with caffeine (basically to prevent or treat dehydration from diarrhea). After 12 hours of this diet, bland foods may be introduced. For anyone with compromised health, you should see your doctor for treatment, as they can prescribe one of several antiobiotics that can help. See the article at http://www.emedicinehealth.com/giardiasis/article_em.htm for more information.One thing that this article mentions is that infection with this bacteria does cause lactose intolerance for several weeks afterward, so stay away from milk products once you are back on solid food.In answer to the person who asked about basic lactose intolerance, yes, it is possible to become lactose intolerant as you get older. I am in this category myself. I ate lots of dairy products while growing up, but discovered in the last ten years or so that I had to limit my consumption of milk products and then stop altogether, unless I made sure to take some lactase enzyme just before eating anything containing lactose. Apparently there are both blood and breath tests which can diagnose a lactose intolerance. You can also use the eliminate/reintroduce method at home. This involves entirely cutting out lactose from your diet for some time to see if your symptoms go away, and if they do, slowly reintroduce food with lactose into your diet and see if the symptoms recur. BE AWARE THAT OTHER FOODS THAN MILK PRODUCTS CONTAIN LACTOSE. It might surprise you to know that hot dogs and various lunch meats have lactose in them (particularly bologna). (Many brands of both of these also contain high fructose corn syrup, but don't get me started on that one.) You really have to read those food labels. And yes, lactose intolerance can cause the sulfur smell.Besides the above-mentioned lactose intolerance, there are other foods which can, in some people, contribute to the "sulfur problem," and again, the problem is in the intestinal tract, where the food is being improperly digested. Some people are sensitive to some foods, while other may ingest them freely with no problems. For a list of possible sources, see http://www.medhelp.org/NIHlib/GF-285.html.The third cause that I know about has to do with your intestinal tract. Smelly burps or flatulence are caused by the same thing. The "good" bacteria which aid the large intestine to digest your food sometimes produce sulfur as a by-product. If there is an excessive amount of sulfur produced from the digestion of what you eat, it will show up in the gas that your body naturally produces. Most gas is odorless, unless there is an excess of this sulfur. See the medhelp.org article mentioned above for more information.I suspect that for most people the problem is a food intolerance, and because there are so many possible culprits out there, it would explain why your doctors have not been immediately able to pinpoint problem. It may take a lot of self-testing with the eliminate/reintroduce method I mentioned with lactose intolerances to figure out exactly what your own intolerances may be.Hope this helps. I'm off to drink some more water--and maybe some broth.

I have the same thing right now, I started having sulfur smelling burps earlier and stomach pain then to liquid/water diareaha.... I've never had this before it has to be something that I ate or something I touched. Weird how we all have the same symptoms and not 1 doctor can diagnose it!!! I haven't went yet but I will be calling my doctor tomorrow to see if she has heard of a case like this. I'll let you all know if I find anything else!

I have been in and out of the hospital for 2 days now with the same symptoms and they can't find a thing wrong with me. Ultrasounds, blood work, IV's, etc. but nothing. I am supposed to come back if the pain gets worse. The next time I have an egg smelling burp, I'm going back to that Doctor, burp in his face ask him if that's normal.

I had this issue for years and the doctors always wrote it off as something it wasn't and no cure for the issue was ever found.I took a vacation out of state once and just so happened to have an episode of this while on the plane. By the time I was off, I had to go to the hospital with unbearable cramps and nasty burps. It ruined my vacation. The final day I was there, my grandfather told me antibiotics can kill significant amount of good bacteria in the digestive system and food could be rotting. He then gave me some of those natural supplements I don't believe in. They were called 'Multi-Enzymes' (I might have butchered the spelling). Within a few hours my symptoms were gone, and since then any time I think I might be close to another episode, a couple of these little things keep it away and I haven't had any problems since.You might look to pick a bottle up. They're like $5 at walmart (if your walmart carries them). GNC has them but they charge like $20 last time I checked.

Wow. I can't believe I found this. I too have this same problem. Once every so many years I have a bout of these belches. The last accompanied by severe diarrhea. My husband can't stand the smell of the belches. I can clear the room and he has to role down the car windows. I used to get them more often when my husband (boyfriend at the time) delivered pizza. We would eat pizza all the time. So I thought it had something to do with yeast. I looked up yeast and belches but there was way too much info to sort through. Today I started this quest because I read something very interesting today after coming home from the mountains (Rocky Mountains.) I picked up The Parents Handbook for Summit County, CO because we are looking into taking our young children to the mountains. I read an article by a Dr. David Gray called Feeling Good at Altitude. Now my husband contracted Giardia as a scout when their water filter system went bad and they ended up drinking contaminated water. He has dealt with this for decades. So when I read this part of this article, my interest really peaked. I wonder if I could have gotten it from my husband. The article says this: Don't give in to the temptation to drink out of that sparkling stream... (which I knew) ...They carry a bug called Giardia, which may give you the mother of all diarrhea. If you pass gas out of either end that can clear a room and has the odor of sulphur, or rotten eggs... check for Giardia. The website for this handbook is www.theparentshandbook.comI then googled Giardia and learned that you can get it not only from mountain streams, but visiting other countries, your local swimming pool, or just plain touching a surface that an infected person just touched after not washing after using the bathroom. I found an interesting website: GiardiaClub.com that has a lot of info too, but not too much about the belching. So that's when I googled sulfur smelling belches and found you all.Giardia can be tested through fecal samples. Have your doctor test you for Giardia. All my symptoms match you guys, but usually just one day. And I am down for the day and no one stays home. I have never heard of this. I called it ******g out the mouth. But it is horridly disgusting. I can't believe no one knows any more about this with so many people commenting on this in this forum. I can be found at DeaCuster@comcast.netD

I suffered an abscessed tooth and was prescribed Clindomycin of which I am apparently allergic. Then all of a sudden, my stomach blew up like being 7 months pregnant (NOT) with severe bloating, unable to eat or hold anything down. The Dr recommended the BRAT diet, bananas, white rice, applesauce & toast. All I have been able to hold down is a couple of saltine crackers, one third of a banana and some ice chips. Clear juices are not working. This has been going on for four days now. Then the last two days, there has been burping and that nasty sulfa tasting belching. Also searching for an answer. Thanks.